This invention relates generally to hub mounted odometers which are employed for recording the revolutions of a vehicle wheel. More particularly, this invention relates to an odometer incorporating electronic means for recording information associated with the operation of a vehicle.
Mechanical odometers which are mounted to the hub of a vehicle and employ a mechanical counter for recording the distance traveled by the vehicle wheel are well-known. Such odometers may have a pendulous core which is suspended within an external housing mounted for rotation with the associated vehicle wheel. Exemplary hub odometers such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,430 of Robert Hermann and U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,131 of Jerry L. Haynes and Oliver R. Thomas, Jr. employ a pawl which is engageable with teeth on a ratchet wheel for indexing the mechanical counter. The counter is mounted on a pendulous core. A damping mechanism prevents the rotation of the pendulous core.
The present invention is an electronic odometer which employs integrated circuits and electronic components to automatically compile, process and record large quantities of vehicle operation data as well as types of operation data not commonly provided by the mechanical hub odometer. The electronic hub odometer mounts to the hub of a vehicle or trailer wheel and is relatively easy to install. The information generated by the odometer is ordinarily in machine readable form for direct entry into a remote computer. The electronic odometer provides a relatively inexpensive means for automatically recording times, dates and total mileage of a vehicle trip as well as average and maximum speeds of the trip and a speed profile of the trip. The electronic odometer operates automatically and does not require manual operation or actuation on the part of the vehicle operator. The odometer may be employed for monitoring traffic law compliance in addition to vehicle operational performance. The odometer may also be employed for remote identification of the vehicle to which the odometer is mounted. The information recorded by the odometer is in machine readable form which ordinarily may only be read by means of a compatible remote unit.